Tickling the parfon as he lies afleep;
Then dreams he of another benefice.
Sometimes she driveth o'er a foldier's neck,
And then dreams he of cutting foreign-throats,
Of breaches, ambufcadoes, Spanish blades,
Of healths five fathom deep; and then anon
Drums in his ears, at which he starts and wakes ;
And being thus frighted, swears a prayer or two,
And fleeps again. This is that very Mab
That plats the manes of horses in the night,
And cakes the elf-locks in foul fluttish hairs,
Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes.
This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs;
That presses them, and learns them first to bear,
Making them women of good carriage:
This is the
Rom. Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace:
Thou talk'ft of nothing.
Petronius.
Somnia quæ mentes, &c.
When in our dreams the forms of things arife,
In mimic order plac'd before our eyes,
Nor heav'n, nor hell the airy vision sends,
But every breast its own delusion lends.
For when soft fleep the body lays at ease,
And from the heavy mass the fancy frees :
Whate'er it is in which we take delight,
And think of most by day, we dream at night :-
Thus he who shakes proud ftates, and cities burns,
Sees showers of darts, forc'd lines, disorder'd wings,
Fields drown'd in blood, and obfequies of kings :
The lawyer dreams of terms and double fees,
And trembles when he long vacations sees :
The mifer hides his wealth, new treafure finds;
In echoing woods his horn the huntsman winds:
The failors dream a shipwreck'd chance describes,
The whore writes billet-doux; th' adult'ress bribes:
The op'ning dog the tim'rous hare purfues,
And mifery in fleep its pains renews.
Mer. True, I talk of dreams;
Which are the children of an idle brain,
Begot of nothing, but vain phantafy,
Which is as thin of substance as the air,
And more unconstant than the wind; who wooes
Ev'n now the frozen bosom of the north,
And being anger'd, puffs away from thence,
Turning his face to the dew-dropping fouth.
SCENE VI. A Beauty defcrib'd.
O she doth teach the torches to burn bright;
Her beauty hangs upon the cheek of night,
Like a rich jewel in an Æthiop's ear:
Beauty too rich for ufe, for earth too dear!
So shews a snowy dove trooping with crows,
As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.
(3) The Courtship between Romeo and Juliet in the
Rom. He jests at scars that never felt a woundBut foft, what light thro' yonder window breaks ?
(3) The, &c.] The elegance and natural fimplicity of this scene is enough to recommend it, and musft render it agreeable to every reader who hath any taste for tenderness, delicacy, and fincere affection: but when we have feen it so justly performed, and fo beautifully graced by some of the best and moft judicious actors that ever appeared on any stage, we shall want no comment to enter into its particular excellencies, no chart to guide us to those beauties which all must have sensibly felt, on hearing them fo feelingly and pathetically expreft, in their own bofoms. The Reader will find fome remarks in the Actor on this celebrated scene.
It is the east, and Juliet is the fun!
[Juliet appears above at a window.
Arife, fair fun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already fick and pale with grief,
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than the.
Be not her maid, fince she is envious:
Her vestal livery is but fick and green,
And none but fools do wear it, caft it off
She speaks, yet she says nothing; what of that?
Her eye difcourses, I will answer it-
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:
Two of the fairest stars of all the heav'n,
Having fome business do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.
What if her eyes were there, they in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,
As day-light doth a lamp; her eyes in heav'n,
Would through the airy region stream so bright,
That birds would fing, and think it were not night,
See how the leans her cheek upon her hand,
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!
Jul. Ah me!
Oh speak again, bright angel, for thou art
As glorious to this (4) fight, being o'er my head,
As is a winged messenger from heav'n,
Unto the white up-turn'd wand'ring eyes
Of mortals, that fall back to gaze on him,
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds,
And fails upon the bosom of the air.
Jul. O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo!
Deny thy father and refuse thy name':
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
Rom. Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?..
(4) Sight, Mr. Theobald, vulg. Night.
Jul. "Tis but thy name that is my enemy:
What's in a name? that which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet.
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes,
Without that title; Romeo, quit thy name,
And for thy name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.
Rom. I take thee at thy word :
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptiz'd,
Henceforth I never will be Romeo.
Jul. What man art thou that thus bescreen'd in night So stumblest on my counsel.
I know not how to tell thee who I am:
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,
Because it is an enemy to thee.
Had I it written, I would tear the word.
Jul. My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words Of that tongue's uttering, yet I know the found.
-Art thou not Romeo, and a Mountague?
Rom. Neither, fair faint, if either thee displease.
Jul. How cam'st thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?
The orchard walls are high, and hard to climb,
And the place death, confidering who thou art,
If any of my kinfinen find thee here.
Rom. (5) With love's light wings did I o'er-perch
For ftony limits cannot hold love out,
And what love can do, that dares love attempt:
Therefore thy kinsmen are no ftop to me.
Jul. If they do fee thee, they will murder thee.
Rom. Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye,
(5) With, &c.] - Which when th' arch felon saw,
Due entrance he disdain'd, and in contempt,
At one flight bound, high over-ieap'd all bounds
Of hill, or highest wall, and theer within
See Parad. Loft. Β. iv. v. 179.
Than twenty of their swords; look thou but sweet,
And I am proof against their enmity.
Jul. I would not for the world they saw thee here.
Rom. I have night's cloak to hide me from their
eye. And but thou love me, let them find me here; My life were better ended by their hate,
Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.
Jul. By whose direction found'st thou out this place?
Rom. By love, that first did prompt me to inquire,
He lent me counsel, and I lent him eyes:
I am no pilot, yet wert thou as far
As that vast shore, wash'd with the farthest sea,
I would adventure for such merchandize.
Juliet. Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face,
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek,
For that which thou hast heard me speak to-night;
Fain would I dwell on form; fain, fain deny
What I have spoke-but farewel compliment:
Doft thou love me? I know thou wilt say, ay,
And I will take thy word-yet if thou swear'st,
Thou mayst prove false; (6) at lover's perjuries
They say Jove laughs. Oh gentle Romeo,
If thou doft love, pronounce it faithfully!
Or if thou think I am too quickly won,
I'll frown and be perverse, and say thee nay,
So thou wilt woo, but else not for the world.
In truth, fair Mountague, I am too fond;
And therefore thou mayst think my 'haviour light:
(6) At lovers, &c.] This, as Mr. Theobald has obferved, our author probably borrowed either from Ovid or Tibullus.
Jupiter ex alto perjuria ridet amantum.
At lovers' perjuries Jove laughs.
-Perjuria ridet amantum
Jupiter, & ventos irrita ferre jubet.
At lovers' perjuries Jove laughs away,
And bids the winds the idle tales convey,
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